Psychological Consequences of Earthquake Disaster Survivors

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A survey has been undertaken to examine long‐term psychological after‐effects of a devastating earthquake (the Tangshan earthquake) in China in 1976. Subjects (equal number of males and females, aged between 20 and 70) consisted of 110 paraplegic and 100 non‐deformed persons. The 16‐PF Questionnaire, two attitude tests and individual interviews were used in the investigation. Results show that the earthquake had long‐term effects on people's minds. The effects are extensive and long‐lasting, and differed between different groups. This indicates that in the study of the impact of Global Change on humans, earthquake disasters should be brought into focus, not only as physical disasters but also with reference to the psychological shock caused by an earthquake.